It’s been a while since I’ve shared a new project with you. It’s actually been a while since I’ve worked on a new project that I’m able to share with you!
For this new design I’m going to be working with the glorious Scheepjes Secret Garden in either one of the two colourways below, Lily Pond and Lavender Beds.
The design is inspired by the Hindi word katran which is a word that describes small pieces of cloth by-products from weaving mills. There is a movement in India where these offcuts are collected by farmers in their off-seasons and spun into heavy yarn to make traditional daybeds.
The Secret Garden make me think of these gorgeous Indian yarns which are just a riot of colour with no real order to the changes. There’s a real handspun quality to the yarn which I love.
For my project you’ll need 3 skeins of Secret Garden in your chosen colourway, and now I’ll tell you a bit more about the yarn itself:
Secret Garden is a blended yarn, comprised of 20% silk, 20% cotton and 60% polyester. The silk and cotton give the yarn life and the polyester keeps it soft, and also keeps the price point down to a level where it can be considered affordable. For example, Wool Warehouse stocks Secret Garden for £4.39 (€5.39) and in North America, Love Knitting/Crochet prices it at $5.50 USD. In comparison to other, similar yarns, this is extraordinary.
The yarn comes in 50 gram balls, and calls for a 4mm hook. For your 50g you’ll get 93 metres of yarn.
Now, I’ll be back next week with a progress report, but in the meantime I want you to take a look at an earlier design of mine, the Pina Colada shawl from YARN, the Tropical Issue:
I designed this shawl with two shades of Secret Garden which blend together using short rows. The shawl is lovely and soft, and has a beautiful drape. I find it perfect to wrap around my shoulders on a chilly afternoon, and it’s also squishy enough to curl it around my neck as an oversized scarf for when I’m out cycling.
It’s a challenging pattern, so not one that I would recommend to a beginner, and it’s enormously satisfying seeing the colours change and the contrast grow.
YARN is available at the usual stockists in the Netherlands and Belgium. I’ve seen it in Sticks and Cups in Utrecht (along with all the copies of the After Party booklets) and it’s also on Wool Warehouse for £5.95 (€7.30).
Stay tuned for the next installment!
*Just a note: this post contains a couple of affiliate links which, if you choose to use when feeding your yarn habit, will earn me a small commission. This helps me keep up the freebies and doesn’t cost you a thing. Thanks so much! ♥
MissNeriss 
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